Saving Donna Noble
by Sally Scotte
Summary: It sets out to do exactly what it says on the tin. Spoilers for Journey's End.
1. Chapter 1

Chapter One

The Doctor was unlike any man she'd met before. She'd had a few important ones in her life, sure; her granddad had always loved her no matter what, unlike her mother Sylvia, who was constantly telling Donna how worthless she was.

Then she'd met Lance, and everything had changed. Not really because of Lance himself; he was a git. He'd turned out to be in league with the Empress of the Racnoss, who was pretty much a giant spider bent on world domination. (And when she said giant, she didn't mean big. She meant flipping enormous.) She'd loved him, and he'd turned out to be a two-faced self-preserving sod. But he'd done a lot for her, in a way. Without Lance, she'd have never met the Doctor, and the Doctor meant the world to her. Several worlds, actually.

That wasn't to say that she fancied the Doctor. Who would want a skinny alien with a blue box anyway? Not Donna Noble, that was for sure. They were mates, and they both knew that was meant in the regular sense of the word, not the Discovery Channel way. Sure, they'd kissed once but honestly, he was dying and she couldn't think of anything better to do at the time; it definitely qualified as a shock. They'd made it quite clear afterwards that it was never to happen again, then they'd laughed at yet another fantastic adventure.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Donna snapped back into reality as the TARDIS jerked, the Doctor buzzing about the controls and grinning madly. His mood had improved considerably since their previous adventure. _Some vacation that turned out to be._ The Doctor had come back from his flight visibly shaken and unwilling to talk about anything, and though he seemed in better spirits after they'd left the planet she knew he wasn't his usual self.

"Doctor? You sure you're all ri-" Donna's words were cut off as the ship stopped pitching about. He grabbed her, pulling her outside with him. _I wonder where we've gone this time?_

That was the last time Donna Noble set foot in the TARDIS for over a year. In that year, the Doctor died and most of England was attacked by aliens. Then Donna Noble was killed. She died so that she could start again, live that year over so she could meet the Doctor like she had always been destined to do and so they could keep saving the universe together.

"Donna, you've got something on your back," the Doctor said without thinking, brushing a bit of dust off Donna's shoulder as he walked past. That earned him quite a smack. It also brought about the return of Rose Tyler and the darkness.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

She was in the TARDIS again only this time alone. She was trapped and scared, truly scared for the first time in quite a while. No one was around to hear her witty retorts, so she simply screamed for him as she'd done a few times before, only when she really needed him.

"Doctor!"

But unlike before, he couldn't come running. She didn't know what was going on, but...._What the bloody_....the jar on the floor was glowing. The hand inside it seemed almost alive, but that wasn't possible. She reached out to touch it, and everything went black.

Opening her eyes, Donna realized she was still inside the burning TARDIS, dying right along with it. She turned around and...._Oh, isn't that just wizard_....the Doctor was beside her. And he was naked.

"Oi! I thought we'd agreed, none of this!"

"What?"

"You....you GIT! Put your clothes on and get us out of here!"

"What?!"

"You heard me," Donna yelled. She was normally amused by his antics, but she could only take so much of his laughing in the face of death. "SHIFT, MARTIAN BOY!"

"WHAT?!" He looked genuinely confused, then suddenly started spewing out technobabble as she'd never seen him do before. "Biological metacrisis...." he said as he punched a few buttons. "I love my hand...." Rambling, he fiddled with a dial or two and the TARDIS was safe again. "Molto bene! Donna, do you know what this means?"

"That you've gone completely loony?" The Doctor laughed, snorting in the process, and it suddenly occurred to Donna that he was different somehow. "Are you all right, Doctor?"

"All right? I'm fantastic! And you, Donna Noble, so are you. Come on, Sunshine, we better go save me and the others! I'll just...." Donna started to ask, but he dashed off, suddenly seeming to realize that he had saved both of them without the assistance of pants. She hadn't seen the Doctor look this embarrassed since River Song had called him 'pretty boy.'

She realized he'd left the TARDIS unattended, so she flipped a switch or two just to make sure they didn't crash. _I don't remember him teaching me that_, she thought. _I must have seen him do it a million times though. Monkey see, monkey do. Or rather Martian do._ Donna suppressed a chuckle as the Doctor returned. "Okay, Spaceboy, let's go save the world." Their eyes met, both of them grinning broadly, and they spoke in unison.

"Again."

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Donna didn't think much of it until after Davros attacked her, but she and the new Doctor were thinking alike more than usual. Surprisingly so. She was sprawled out on the floor of the Crucible _(maybe Mum is right....all I do these days is lie about)_ and she suddenly understood everything the Doctor had said just minutes ago in the TARDIS. Biological metacrisis, two-way to be exact. She was Donna Noble, part super temp, part Time Lord, all attitude. And ready to show the Daleks that she wasn't just a temp from Chiswick anymore.

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

To be continued....


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter Two

The Doctor had said goodbye to Jack and Martha, Mickey, Sarah Jane, even Rose after a fashion. Donna was standing on the beach, there for her friend as always, but she felt like she was somewhere else, even some_one_ else completely. She knew the Doctor would never stay with Rose, and that Rose would never leave without the Doctor, so the Doctor's clone (they had taken to calling him Pretty Boy, a moniker Rose liked immediately even without understanding the joke) had stayed behind with her, giving her the happy ending she'd wanted, and allowing the Doctor(and)Donna to travel time and space forever. Forever was an awfully short time.

They were back on the TARDIS only minutes later, planning out their next 'vacation spot', which by God wasn't going to have giant life-altering beetles or diamond canyons with parasitic consciousnesses as house guests. Her hands shook for a second, then the feeling passed and she turned toward him, smiling. "Any ideas, Martian?"

"How about Felspoon? Or have I told you about that one? Beautiful place, mountains like you wouldn't believe...." The Doctor's tone was light, but Donna could tell he was worried.

"Watch it, Doctor, I know just as much as you now."

The Doctor looked at her for a moment. "I know, Donna. You're brilliant, just like me. Probably more so."

"Exactly. I'd call you a genius, except I'm in the room." The words felt foreign in her mouth, but she continued. "Felspoon sounds marvelous. Fantastic!" Another one. It couldn't be helped.

The Doctor walked over and helped her pilot the TARDIS. After all, being made for six pilots, an extra pair of hands couldn't hurt, but Donna couldn't help noticing that he stayed near her, constantly glancing in her direction. It was as if he expected her to fall over at any second.

They both knew Donna was stronger than that. She'd never been weak, even as a child, and she wasn't going to start now. Any other human would have died within minutes of a human-Time Lord metacrisis, but not Donna Noble. She would stay strong until the end, and she hoped with everything in her that the Doctor somehow, through some miracle, could save her. Having his brain, though, she knew it was impossible. _And having his brain hurts. A lot._ She didn't know how he could stand it.

"Donna, we could go to Felspoon any time. Let's go see someone from the past. Your choice."

Any time. They could see Felspoon any time. He was choosing to ignore it too. Maybe he had a plan after all. "Well...." Donna rolled the word around in her mouth, considering. "I've always wanted to meet Charlie Chaplin," she admitted. "Always funny, that Charlie Chap-Chap-Chap-" Donna panicked, but couldn't seem to make herself stop. "Chap-Chap-Chap-"

The Doctor masked his concern poorly by pretending to reach around her and flip a switch, resting his hand on her shoulder. "Chap-Chap-Chap-....A good chap, that's what he is." She broke away and checked the scanner, shaking. "Don't you think so, Doctor?"

The Doctor smiled and agreed, but they both knew she couldn't handle it much longer. A human brain could only take so much information, and the Time Lord consciousness currently swimming around in Donna's head was going to give her an aneurysm, quite literally.

"Doctor?" Donna's usually loud and sarcastic voice was now quiet and full of fear, but she'd made up her mind. She wasn't going back; she couldn't. "I want...." She paused and he saw her eyes momentarily lose focus. "I want to stay. Please, tell me I can stay with you."

"Donna, you'll always be with me. You think after all we've done, the Ood and the Pyrovile and Jenny, that I'd ever forget you?" She answered with a slap across his face, something he obliged under the circumstances. For a dying woman, Donna Noble had a few good smacks left in her.

"Listen, Martian, you know very well what I mean. Cut it out with the crybaby act and answer me!" Donna was starting to feel dizzy, but she didn't care. If she was going to die, she wanted to do it properly, more important and worthy than her mother had ever given her credit for. He'd shown her what she was capable of and she wasn't settling for anything less. When he didn't answer she tried a different approach, reaching out for one of his hands. "Doctor, I'm not leaving you," she told him sincerely.

"Donna...." The Doctor could hardly bear to speak the words; giving voice to the truth only made it that much more painful. "Donna, you're going to die. You know what I have to do....please, I can't let you die like this." He put one of his hands on her face, but she pulled back with such ferocity she almost fell to the floor. He tried to help her but she backed off as steadily as she could and refused to come near him.

"Die like this? The best I've ever been in my life? Doctor, all my life people have told me that I'm useless, just a temp from Chiswick, nothing special." She faltered slightly, choking back tears. "And I've always believed them. Until you came along and told me different."

She could see the Doctor's eyes cloud over and she knew she was hurting him, her best mate. He was only trying to help, but she wasn't going to stop until she had her say. "You made me so much better, Doctor. Told me I was brilliant and wouldn't shut up until I believed you. I won't go back, Doctor, you can't make me." She grabbed onto the console to maintain her balance, holding out a hand to stop him as he approached her. "Please....please don't make me go back."

The Doctor knew that if he had any chance of saving her, he would have to act quickly. Donna was growing weaker by the minute, even her attitude showed it. Donna Noble had never begged before, at least not for her own life; she was better than that. He took a cautious step toward her and took it as a sign of her exhaustion, not her complicity, that she did not back away. The Doctor hated what he had to do to save her life, but he couldn't stand by and watch another friend die. "Donna, just let me...."

Donna heard nothing after her name. It seemed that the cells in her brain were burning up faster than they'd anticipated. She was dying, and there was nothing she could do to stop it; even the mind wipe wouldn't save her now in all probability._ Probabilities, ratios, radicals, numerals.... _"The square root of pi is 1.772453850905516- Oh, my head...." she muttered.

"Donna! Donna, stop!" She felt her legs give out as he called to her. The Doctor caught her before she fell and she tried to smile knowing that he'd risked another Donna Noble slap to keep her from being injured. Not that it made a difference at this point.

She could vaguely hear the Doctor crying and she realized that no one in her life, except her gramps of course, probably cared for her as deeply as he did. She was his best friend too. "I'm not leaving you either, Donna," he whispered in her ear as he eased them to the floor, settling Donna against him. "Hands," she teased, but he just pulled her closer and she smiled. She realized how hot she must feel compared to him. _Why is it so warm in here?_

The Doctor held Donna for several minutes as she grew weaker. She could still talk, one of the blessings of the situation; Donna could never keep quiet, even if she couldn't move. "Doctor, it'll be okay. You'll find someone else to keep you out of trouble, I know you will. Remember that girl from the Library? I bet she could keep you in line...."

Donna stopped to take a deep breath and looked into the Doctor's eyes. She'd overheard the two of them in the library that day, how the woman _(River, her name was? _It was getting harder to remember specifics) had said he looked so much younger than the other times they'd met. He certainly looked older at that moment than she'd ever seen him.

"Stupid codependent Martian," she teased him softly. "You saved her, and you're mad because you can't save me. You don't need me, Doctor. You'll be fine," Donna assured him.

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

To be concluded....


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter Three

Suddenly, the Doctor's eyes lit up and he smiled broadly as she looked up at him in shock.

"Oi, try to keep the excitement down, Doctor. I _am_ dying here!" Her statement returned his face to a look of concern and grief, and she suddenly wished she hadn't said anything. "It's all right Doctor, everybody dies." There. She'd said it, acknowledged it. "It's not your fault, none of it. You can't blame it all on yourse...." She trailed off as she began to lose consciousness, but the Doctor seemed even more motivated by this and stood up, dragging her along with him.

"Donna Noble, you're brilliant! Even when your brain is in shutdown, you're brilliant." He looked around the TARDIS, still holding her close and stroking her hair, which had become damp with sweat. "Donna, pay attention. Where's my sonic screwdriver?"

"A time....like this....and you're worried....about a _screwdriver_?" Donna wondered which one of them was losing their mind when a sharp pain in her skull reminded her.

"My sonic screwdriver....it's-"

"-Sonic," they said together, although her voice was barely above a whisper. "I know. Absent-minded alien, that's what you are. It's by the monitor."

The Doctor walked as quickly as possible, careful to keep Donna propped up against him, flipping switches, turning knobs, and pushing buttons while he made his way over to the screwdriver. The screwdriver he had given River in the future.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

The TARDIS lurched several times, knowing it was imperative that they reach their destination quickly. They sat on the floor of the ship with his arms wrapped protectively around her, comforting despite her high fever.

The Doctor had done his best to explain but given the time left it was hard for Donna to understand completely. "It'll still wipe your memory, Donna. You understand that."

"Get on with it already," she managed, her words coming slower as her mind cycled down.

He couldn't put it off any longer or it would be moot. "Donna, I can't lie to you. I don't....I don't know if it will work. There's too many variables involved, too much I can't predict." She barely nodded at the information, her grasp on his hand loosening, but she was still listening, he could tell. "In case it doesn't work, I want you to know that you were...." he paused, watching her eyes slide closed, and hugged her tighter for a moment. "You are _fantastic_, Donna."

"You too, Spaceman," she breathed. Donna smiled, then her head slumped sideways onto the Doctor's chest. He could feel her heart, slowing down but still beating.

"Hold on, Donna, we're almost there."

The TARDIS stopped and the Doctor pulled her up, making their way to where Charlotte was waiting to save Donna's life. The Doctor was carrying Donna by this point, making sure her feet didn't cross into the darkness. He knew she'd lost consciousness a few minutes before and was no longer aware of whether or not she was even breathing, but he would never forgive himself if he didn't try. He laid Donna on one of the platforms as gently as he could and used the screwdriver to hack into the controls. "Goodbye, Donna."

Donna opened her eyes one more time and saw the Doctor activate the teleport. He watched her disappear and waited for several minutes, hoping his plan would work. _Please let it work_. If not, it was all for nothing and Donna had still died, without him even beside her.

The minutes passed, seeming like hours, and finally something popped up on the computer. The Doctor's eyes went wide, his mouth dropping open. "No....way...."

DONNA NOBLE HAS LEFT THE LIBRARY. DONNA NOBLE HAS BEEN SAVED.

He waited another moment or two, just to be safe, then opened the necessary files and used the teleport again, pointing the screwdriver behind his back at the platform. He didn't dare to look for a moment, too scared that he'd failed and would see Donna's body lying by the console. He heard a voice behind him and jumped. "Miss me, Time Boy?"

_Not impossible, just a bit unlikely. _The Doctor spun around and saw Donna, looking as wonderful and healthy (and ready to slap someone) as usual. She tripped off the platform, a bit dizzy from the teleport, and he caught her one-handed, both of them smiling. "So then, I suppose you'll be wanting an explanation for this?" Donna smacked him on the arm. "Ow!"

"You know what, Doctor?" she replied. "I don't even want to know. Odds are I won't understand it anyway. Never been good with all this technical rubbish." She paused, typing away at the computer for a moment to close everything down, then gave him a good laugh trying to work the teleport with all its complicated buttons and controls. "Fine then, you do it."

He relocked the controls, then they made their way back to the TARDIS. On the way there, he told her everything she'd forgotten, from Midnight to the Crucible; the last thing she knew he had tricked her into teleporting away and she'd gotten trapped in CAL. "So let me get this straight," Donna said, "you....rebooted my brain? Are you having me on, Martian? You're telling me you stuck me in some flipping computer and it made me better? Pull the other one!"

He laughed, but assured her he wasn't joking. It was just like he'd told her the last time he thought she was leaving; she'd saved his life in so many ways, and he was more than happy to return the favor. Though the Time Lord part of her was gone and she didn't remember their last few trips, she was safe. Besides, she'd saved the universe -twice, if you counted the parallel world- and that had to count for something. "You were absolutely brilliant, Donna. I'm sorry you don't remember it, but you were...."

"Fantastic?" she guessed, and he froze. "I prefer supertemp, thanks." She gave him a smile as she closed the TARDIS doors behind them. "Now then, you said something about Charlie Chaplin. Quite a nice chap, that Charlie Chaplin. I think I'd still like to see him."

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

The End


End file.
